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Operating System

Hard Drives

Memory

Ports

Input Device

Keyboard

Wave Keyboard

Power

AC Adapter

47WHrs, 4400mAh,3S2P, 6-cell Li-Ion Battery

Dimensions & Weight

Dimensions (W x D x H)

15.12" x 10.12" x 1.4"

Weight

7.8 lbs.

Quick Info

WarrantyBeyond any applicable Newegg return policy, this item is warranted independently by the product's Manufacturer or a Third party. Below is a summary provided for convenience only and may not be accurate or current.
Read full details.

Rating: 3/5Good if you get it for under $300

Pros: I. The 500GB HDD is a slower 5400rpm, but this does help with the small battery. I still get about 3 hours of good performance out of the battery, 4 hours if I use my SSD and power saving features.

II. The Wi-Fi stays connected and the transfer rate has been solidly fast over WPA2-PSK. You might have to use the Wi-Fi "shut-off" trick in Windows 8.1, but that's entirely Microsoft's fault and not ASUS's.

III.This laptop stays very cool, even without an SSD. They placed the air vent on the side, and the laptop stays cool on cloth surfaces as long as the vent is unobstructed.

IV. I know this thing sells for $350 usually, but I bought mine for $250 on sale. This is an excellent price for a new full-sized laptop with Windows. That having been said...I really wouldn't pay more than $299+tax for it.

Cons: I. The track-pad is very terrible. Even with the ASUS supplied software, it is way too sensitive to things which don't actually touch it. The buttons are part of the pad and not separated. You have to install software to disable it. PLEASE DO. I knew about the lousy track-pad before I bought it, and had already planned to use my Logitech M570 trackball instead. Do NOT depend on the trackpad for regular use. It stinks!

II. The BIOS.. (none) it uses UEFI instead which CAN be accessed without loading *anything*. Here's how:1) Pull the battery2) Turn on the laptop3) continually tap the ESC key until you get to the boot screen, you can then choose to "Enter Setup"In Setup, Enable EVERYTHING, specifically, go to the normally ignored 'Security' tab/menu, and while you don't have to enable any of the passwords (I wouldn't), you MUST enable every device listed. You must also enable PXE booting for the onboard NIC. Here's why.You won't get to choose a different boot device (like a CD or flash drive) if you don't. The UEFI likes to 'detect' different boot methods. So if you ever want to get rid of Windows 8, follow those instructions. Figuring out true functionality through the setup menu is NOT intuitive. Maybe it made better sense in Chinese or Hokkien before the translator got a hold of it.

III. This thing is *BIG*, WIIIDE, and HEAVY. And at 1366 x 768, the resolution always seems too small for working. Movies look pretty good in 1280x720, but not in 1920x1080. It's not the sturdiest thing in the world either.

IV. The keyboard doesn't respond too well for fast touch-typists. You can change the setting, but you'll probably still have to spell check a lot.

V. The speakers are so-so. Better with power than on battery obviously.

VIII. The DVD "Writer" is really more like a DVD-reader/CD-writer. I can't get this thing to write to any DVD recordable media. I have to use a USB external drive to write. And YES this SN-208DN model is one which is supposed to be able to write to DVD recordable media, and YES the drive has the latest firmware and drivers installed. Take my advice. Look for an after-market HDD caddy designed to replace this drive (they *do* exist)

IX. Buy a screen protector first thing. The screen lays down on top of the keyboard keys and will eventually, but quickly, scuff the screen. I have tried larger rubber feet, but then the screen flexes when packed.

Other Thoughts: I paid about $250+tax, and I'm still pretty satisfied with what I bought. It definitely helped that I already had the spare SSD and Windows 7 retail license to go with this laptop. It did work just fine with Windows 8 though. No major problems after 9 months of everyday use.

Rating: 1/5False information from Asus?

Pros: Not sure yet, was planning to buy but I am getting conflicting information about the BIOS in this model.

Cons: After reading the previous review comment from Asus support that said the BIOS could not be accessed without Windows 8 I decided to call Asus to confirm this. The support rep I spoke with assured me that the BIOS on this model could be accessed on boot without needing to go through Windows 8. Who is telling the truth here?

Other Thoughts: Nothing angers me more than purchasing something based on pre-sales information then finding out that I was given incorrect information after the purchase. I hope someone from Asus will read this and provide the correct information regarding the BIOS in this model series.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

I apologize if you are receiving conflicting information. I would like to confirm that the BIOS is accessible by hitting the F2 key while the system is booting up without the need to bootup in WINDOWS. If you need further assistance, please email me at cl-rodel@asus.com and write down service# 3104445 on the subject line.

Other Thoughts: I purchased this laptop just to upgrade from my netbook, so I could have something to do homework and travel. I wasn't looking for a desktop replacement; I have a real desktop beast for home use. When I got it home, I did some re-configuring on it, cleaned the the bloatware off, and added a Win7 style shell. I was surprised how fast it was. So I loaded WoW to see if it could run that (I normally only play on desktop). I was able to fly around Orgrimmar on medium graphics settings with little to no lag. For a machine that I paid so little for, I am very impressed.

It is unfortunate that this very capable machine gets poor reviews because the operating system is not as user friendly as its predecessors. I am not an Asus fan boy, but I have never been disappointed by their products.

Rating: 1/5Lousy BIOS

Cons: Win 8 refused to give a valid IP for the wired NIC. WinsockFix doesn't work on W8. Asus support was useless. Tried for hours to boot from a flash drive to install Linux Mint. Never managed it.

Other Thoughts: Great laptop if you live somewhere windy & have trouble keeping your paperwork in nice, neat piles.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

Sorry to hear that you do not like the windows 8 operating system. Yes you are no longer able to get to the bios at start up. You will have to go through windows 8.

Regarding about booting from flash drive, I believe in the bios you have a area where you can enable booth from flash drive. You will have to check the internet regarding if windows 8 has that capiblity or a workaround.

I hope you are enjoying your laptop minus the drawbacks of windows 8.

If you have any questions or comments you can email me at cl-jeffrey@asus.com which I reside in the U.S

Through the Newegg EggXpert Review Program, Newegg invites its best reviewers, known as EggXperts, to post opinions about new and pre-release products to help their fellow customers make informed buying decisions.Click here for more details.

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